Let there be Light

The use of light in general, and candle light in particular, is of central importance in various ceremonies of the Jewish people. Not only in times of peace, joy and festivity, but also in times of sorrow and remembrance, the illumination of lights is part of most of the rituals performed in the Jewish home. Lighting a ritual candle holds hidden meanings and intentions, and is portrayed by many as not only a symbolic act but also an emotional act. Chaim Nachman Bialik, the pillar of the revival of Hebrew literature, summed up the universal urge in the words "Creation longs for light".

The theme of light dominates the holiday of Hanukkah. During Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights - candles are lighted every evening of the eight successive days of the holiday in commemoration of the miraculous reconsecration of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees in 164 B.C.E, after their victory over the Syrian Greek armies of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The flickering candle flames of Hanukkah evoke joy, festivity, and memories of family members, standing around the Hanukkah lamp, their faces lit in the soft light.